Kelly Moss, Salem Town Council Candidate

Kelly Moss

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

Town Council 1-yr seat

Party Affiliation

Independent

Family

Husband James, 3 sons ages 9, 10, and 12

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelors in Discrete Math from Georgia Tech, Masters in Math Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College

Occupation

Senior Business Systems Analyst, 12 years experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Currently serve on Recreation Advisory Committee, appointed in 2018. Elected to Salem’s Charter Commission in 2022

Campaign website

https://kellymossforsalem.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Having served on the charter commission, I believe that this next year is a critical year for Salem as we implement the new town charter.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Salem has for too long kicked the can down the road on building maintenance, leaving us with many crumbling buildings to repair, but the one with the highest need is our police station. A new police station was declared a critical need 19 years ago but has failed on the ballot 3 separate times since then. My goal in this next year is to get a new police station project on the ballot in 2024 that addresses the need in a fiscally responsible way with a plan that both the police themselves and the citizens of the town will support. Once on the ballot, I will work together with my fellow Council members to communicate the plan to the residents and gain their support so that this time the plan will pass and we can finally start addressing our deteriorating buildings.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a mom to 3 school aged children and this is unique in the candidate field. As a mom, I understand the busy life of a working parent and the difficulty of staying informed about what is going on in town while also being an active parent, cooking dinner every night, helping my kids with their homework and driving them to all of their activities. Salem has a communications problem with most residents not aware of what is going on town government, and this lack of awareness leads to low engagement in the process and thus extremely low voter turnout. I understand the reasons why busy parents feel they can't make time to stay engaged and this makes me uniquely situated to help correct this issue. I hope to bridge the gap between town government and busy families to figure out how to better inform and engage all the town's residents so that we can strengthen our community and work together to move Salem forward.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The select board in Salem has for years been penny wise and pound foolish, kicking the can down the road on capital improvement projects that are sorely needed and ultimately end up costing the taxpayers even more money in the long run. As a fresh face on the board, I hope to bring new, fiscally responsible ideas for how we can address these long overdue projects in a sustainable way that will enable Salem to meet the needs of our growing community. My experience on the charter commission, working with a diverse group of citizens to debate the issues and collaborate on a proposal that all 9 of our members ultimately supported and was then successfully supported by the citizens of Salem shows that I am a person of action, committed to getting the job done and done well. I hope to bring that kind of collaborative, forward thinking energy to the new town council.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

One issue that is very important to my campaign is the need for campaign finance reporting at the town level. When I ran for the charter commission, campaign finance reporting was one of my goals. While both state and federal elections require campaign finance reporting that allow voters to understand who is supporting candidates or campaigns, the town-level races are currently not covered by those rules, leaving Salem vulnerable to the influence of outside and special interest groups. In today's heated political environment, it is important to ensure that Salem's elections are transparent so that voters can trust in their elected officials. The new charter requires that the town council implement campaign finance reporting rules within the first year of the new charter. I would like the opportunity to finish the work I started on the charter commission and make sure Salem has robust reporting rules that are not so onerous as to deter candidates from seeking office, but that provide the kind of transparency that builds trust in both our elections and our town government. My campaign platform is all about moving Salem forward and we cannot move forward as a community if we cannot build trust in the process.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Over my time in Salem, I have volunteered with a number of different groups and committees including as a member of the Recreation Advisory Committee, a leader in Salem's Cub Scouts Pack 160, a member of the Salem Area Women's Club board and as a member of the recent charter commission. In each of those positions, I have gained a reputation as a detail-oriented critical thinker who asks good questions and weighs the needs of all sides of an issue before making decisions. I work well with different people from a variety of backgrounds and do not allow idealogical differences from preventing collaboration and cooperation. The charter commission was a great example of my skills in this area and my commitment to finding solutions and getting things done. I am a person of action, committed to doing the hard work of debate and compromise that leads to the best decisions. The community's support of the charter commissions work is a testament to that.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Seek to understand different viewpoints and perspectives when solving problems and you will find better solutions.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am an independent thinker with an eye for detail and a drive for results. I come to the Town Council with new ideas and a fresh perspective. I have degrees in mathematics and teaching which mean I am both a master problem solver and good at explaining things to people. This makes me an ideal candidate for a position where you must both make good decisions and then convince the voters to support them. I am a community builder who wants to improve the engagement level of the citizens of Salem. I am articulate and knowledgable about the issues and I am committed to moving Salem forward through this transition to a Town Council form of government.